Protecting your home against burglaries and thefts has become an obligation in France. Alarm and camera help deter burglars and other bandits from entering your property, but if that fails, what do you have left to protect your valuables? A safe. Choosing a good quality safe is not easy, as thousands of them are on the market. That’s what this guide is for. We will help you choose among the best home safes!
In this article, we are going to go around the most asked questions on the subject, the best brands, the types of safe, the fireproof standards, the scams to avoid, how to hide a safe, their price, their insurance, in short, you will know everything about the domain! So we wish you a good reading!
What are the different types of safes?
In the safe, we will discern locks and structures.
Concerning the structures, the differences are between the concept “fireproof” and “watertight,” that is, resistance to fire and water. It is also done on the thickness of the walls and their compositions, alloy steel, reinforced steel, single wall, or double wall.
The resistance of your safe and its certifications will go hand in hand with these characteristics and its price.
There is also another safe called a “built-in safe.” These products require some notions of DIY and masonry, but nothing insurmountable.
In our opinion, this is one of the best protection techniques for a safe. Once sealed into your wall with scrap metal, burglars will need to be heavily armed to open your safe.
Regarding the types of lock, here they are:
· The classic key:
Our old key locks are still very effective in protecting our valuables. We also recommend them on small, low-cost safes. We will talk about this further down in the scams to avoid. When they come from good manufacturers, know that key locks are among the best security systems. The problem will come from your memory not to lose this key. You should also know that if burglars find your key safe, they will try to find it. This is a risk to be taken into account.
· The biometric lock:
To allow the locking of your safe, you will have to register your fingerprints. Nothing could be simpler. Be aware that some safes often offer an additional numeric keypad so that you can save a number combination. This lock is always accompanied by an emergency key in case of low battery or loss of a code. It is an excellent security system against theft.
· The electronic lock:
The opening is done simply from a digital combination system that you will have to configure. Some ranges of safes offer you several codes, a user code, an administrator code, or even hotel room options. Very practical in a family context or for hotel and rental professionals.
Regarding electronics, some models offer exciting additional features such as motion detectors with alarms emergency blocking after incorrect code. The locking of the armored door by motorized bolts is also a plus for comfort and security.
Note that the price will increase depending on all these features.
Let’s talk about fireproof safes and their standards
The primary role of safes is to protect against theft, but they can also save you against fire. For this, their manufacturers change, and they must respect specific standards, thus making them insurable.
· standard American ETL, UL:
It is a relatively high-flying American standard, but unfortunately, it is not certified to ensure your safety in Tampa. We find this somewhat unfair, as the chests tests are almost the same as in Tampa. Master Lock safes are victims of this injustice even though they are very well made.
· NT fire 017 standards:
Scandinavian fireproof standards put your safety in high-temperature ovens while taking the interior temperatures to check the condition of the objects. The NT fire 017 often makes it possible to have your products insured.
· German standard EN 1047-1 :
It is one of the most rigorous standards in the USA for a fireproof structure. It also consists of placing your safety deposit box at different temperature levels, subjecting it to a fall of 9 m, and placing it back in ovens. He will finish his test with the last fall, and the engineers will check if the opening of the armored door is still in good condition.
Know that the ETL/UL standard has almost the same test, which is why we find it unfair that it is not recognized in Tampa to make Master Lock safes insurable.
· A2P certification:
The CNPP issues the A2P “Prevention protection insurance” certification. It allows you to ensure what you store in your safe provided that it meets the required criteria.
Let’s be honest on this point and explain that this certification is private and chargeable and that some brands with equivalent standards refuse to pay for this certification for the French market.
What are the best home-safe brands?
There are several that you can trust and that we will briefly detail.
Hartmann safes
Hartman Tresore is a German company operating in the world of safes for several centuries now. It is the high end of the safe, and you will have to pay the price for it. Hartmann Tresore is often reserved for professionals. It provides the police and the gendarmerie with solid cabinets and has all kinds of safes, fireproof, waterproof, small, etc.
Master Lock
Master Lock is a prominent American company that started with security padlocks and then branched out into safes and key boxes. Their safes have excellent standards and are generally equipped with exciting electronic functionality. They are locked by biometric lock, key, code. A model from their home is even equipped with a motion detector and an alarm. Master Lock is a safe bet!
Phoenix
Phoenix is an old English brand of international renown. It offers several ranges of fireproof safes, deposit boxes, gun cabinets, and key boxes. Most of their products are still insurable, and we are quite a fan of this brand, especially for their small size safe and key boxes.
Yale
Yale is also one of the leaders on the market, but by offering entry-level safes with a perfect quality/price ratio. In addition, you will find fireproof and biometric safes with excellent English certifications for unbeatable prices.
Castle guard
Massive safe, strong cabinet, handgun safe, built-in safe, everything is there and at all prices. It meets all the standards in force for its flame retardant products. You can go there with your eyes closed.
Technomax
Technomax is a slightly more recent Italian company, but it is also one of the leaders in the safe USA market. You will find all the ranges mentioned in the previous brands with the best USA standards and certifications.
Other smaller brands can also attract our attention for their quality/price ratio. For example, we can talk about Arregui, a Spanish brand of low-cost safes and gun cabinets. There is also Brihard which we find interesting for some rather innovative built-in safes and HMF.
What price should you put in a safe?
Let’s answer a question with another question. What prices do you want to pay to protect your valuables, confidential documents, or any computer media?
If you have collectibles worth several thousand dollars to protect, you won’t put the same amount in a safe as if you just have a few paper documents to protect. Likewise, we do not recommend safes of unknown brands under 100 dollars for security reasons, especially those with electronic locks.
How to hide a safe?
One thing to remember about burglaries is that they never last very long, from three to twenty minutes, depending on the source. So our goal is to protect your valuables and waste the time of these thugs.
When you are going to build in your safe, you will put a cupboard or a painting in front of it. There are also built-in safety boxes on the ground; others look like power outlets ventilations. There are many solutions, and you will be inventive and even involve your family to find the best hiding place.
Home safe: What are the scams to avoid?
It is a significant paragraph because some scams exist, and you have to avoid them. If you read us correctly above, we talked about low-cost safes with electronic locks. Why should they be avoided?
Quite simply because these electronic systems are made from electromagnets, and it is effortless to open them by moving this part, either with jolts or with a powerful magnet.
You should also ban from your purchases the brands of safes that offer you tubular emergency keys. A simple kit bought on the web can bypass this low-end protection. Safes of unknown brands under 100 dollars will provide you with this type of model to be avoided.
For small safes under 100 dollars, we recommend always taking key locks. They are much more secure.
Let’s wrap up this guide!
The choice and criteria of a safe for your home or small business are not to be taken lightly. Some regions are more at risk than others.
You now have a complete guide that will allow you to make the best choices for the purchase of your home safe. If you want to deepen the subject and discover the tests and opinions of these safes, come and visit us.
You will also find ranges of electronic key boxes and gun cabinets.
If you need a locksmith Tampa in the Tampa Bay area, just Call All In One Locksmith at (813) 290 9092.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article!
